Crow's Nest
by Kiki Yushima
Summary: It's amazing what a bird's nest can tell you about their behaviors. AU fic.
1. Chapter 1

But Persona users can't have Palaces yadda yadda I'm just handwaving that for the sake of an interesting scenario.  
Since this is a Palace infiltration, it's gonna be pretty fast paced and dialogue based, so it won't be super heavy character development.

Just note that I'm not gonna be writing any sort of fight/action scenes because I have an extremely difficult time with them. I also haven't actually played the game; I just watched an LP, so my understanding of the battle system is non-existent.

Also, sorry if anybody outside of Akira and Haru feels really OOC. I don't have the best understanding of the PTs outside of them and Goro. I tried my best to keep them in character, but I won't make any guarantees.

Akira has a custom screen name since the others are admittedly just placeholders in lieu of me not understanding them the best. "IceHeart" is just a reference to his love of figure skating. Also, anything in parentheses next to the kaomoji is the translation. He has a bizarre quirk of using kaomoji in place of actual text whenever he can get away with it. Parentheses are "translations."

There will be some weird incongruities with canon that will be explained in future oneshots.

* * *

Akira shook his head as he messaged back to Futaba.

 _IceHeart: ヽ(^。^)丿ヾ(＾-＾)ノ_ (Congrats. You win tonight)  
 _Oracle: Never underestimate the power of a nerd with access to the internet._  
 _IceHeart: | ￣～￣|o_ (I'll win next time)  
 _Oracle: Good luck. You're gonna have to find something even freakier than that next time._  
 _IceHeart: | ￣︶￣|o ヽ(｀◇´)/_ (I will, emphasis)

This wasn't unusual for them. On the odd night Akira couldn't sleep, he and Futaba always had contests to see who could find the freakiest, most niche, and disgusting hentai. It had led both of them to bizarre corners of the internet and he had seen things nobody really should have. It was nasty stuff, but it helped kill time and was a nice distraction from all of the worries of school, being a phantom thief, and…other issues.

He blinked when he saw Ryuji's user blink online. It was nearly five, but it was still odd for him to pop on like this so early in the morning.

 _IceHeart: (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑ (・・？)_ (Ryuji, what are you doing on?)  
 _Skull: Well, I got an idea for a target for the next job. It should be a pretty interesting chapter for the campaign._

Akira's eyebrows shot up as he adjusted his glasses. To keep their IMs coded, they based it off the Leverage tabletop he and Ann had managed to find. It was pretty thinly veiled, but it helped keep things clandestine.

 _IceHeart: ( ﾉ^ω^)ﾉﾟ_ (Go ahead)  
 _Skull: Well, I couldn't sleep, so I got to thinking about what we could do for the next job._  
 _Skull: So I thought what if it was a real corrupt detective abusing his power and status?_  
 _Oracle: Woah, that's a really great idea, Skull! We'll have to talk about it with the others when you guys get back from school._

Akira could do nothing but stare. It wasn't difficult to guess what he meant. Goro had a Palace? But he was a Persona user!

He looked over when he heard the door to his room open and Morgana jumped on his bed, brows furrowed. "Akechi has a Palace? I thought there was something up with his powers, but this is the last thing I expected." Akira nodded and scratched Morgana's head before looking back at his phone.

 _IceHeart: I'll definitely take it under consideration. It could be a fun holdover until we get the next major leg of the campaign sorted out._

They'd already sorted Okumura out, so they were just waiting to see what would happen next. If Goro really did have a Palace, they'd need to get it sorted out as quickly as possible. He couldn't stand to see the gentle boy suffer any longer. He had seen the guilt on his face (subtle though it was) when he'd first seen Futaba in Leblanc. Nobody else had, but Akira knew him well enough by now to read him like an open book.

He closed the chat app and opened the Metaverse Navigator. "Akechi Goro."

Candidate found.

He and Morgana exchanged looks. They hadn't doubted Ryuji's words, but Akira had just wanted to authenticate them regardless. "But how…?" It was all Morgana could choke out.

"…I think I already know what to do. But I should get started for the morning." He had a bento and dinner to cook for a certain detective prince.

* * *

"Akira, shouldn't we talk about it before we try to—"

"I know what I'm doing, Makoto." The unusually harsh comment made any further protests from her die and everyone glanced at each other. Akira normally wasn't so adamant about things, but in this case, there was no room for argument or discussion; he already knew the criterion.

Again he opened the Metaverse Navigator.

"Akechi Goro. Home. Prisoner. Prison."

Destination found.

Reality warped around them and they found themselves outside of a large, decrepit manor. Nothingness stretched out in every direction, broken only by the occasional rotting, decrepit tree covered in crows. Their thief outfits had yet to manifest, but Akira knew it was just a matter of time until Goro alerted to their presence.

"Is this really the sort of prison he thinks of…?" Akira heard Makoto's whispered comment and he glanced at her. He had to agree this was an odd Goro to think of.

"I'm getting some weird readings, guys. The distortions aren't allowing me to see anything inside. You're gonna have to go in and navigate without my help." Considering how hard Gor walled when it came to anybody getting close to him, Akira wasn't surprised. He just gave a slight nod and kicked the door hanging by its hinges in.

"Woah, man, this is nuts…" Ryuji let out a low whistle.

What should have been a large receiving room was nothing more than a cramped passage, branching off into fifteen different passages. Absolute darkness cloaked everything, making it impossible to see more than about a meter.

Akira caught Makoto cover her mouth and look away. With how long she'd known Goro, seeing this had to be difficult for her.

"Any news, Oracle?" He had to check.

"Negative, Joker. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get anything in this Palace. The distortions keeping my readings are way too strong." Akira's hand curled into a tight fist. This Palace may very well be the most difficult they face at least in terms of investigation. He doubted even Shido's cruise ship would prove this challenging.

"Normally, I wouldn't suggest this, but we really need everyone here and should pair off. Mona, Queen. Fox, panther. Skull, Noir. We need to comb this place top to bottom and build a map by communicating with Oracle. Somehow, I doubt we're going to find any sort of blueprints this time." Goro was all about keeping people away, so he wouldn't leave a map of his Palace just lying around to be found. If Futaba couldn't get any sort of read, he doubted they'd have an easy time navigating the Palace.

"You're going by yourself?!" Makoto's comment made him look over, and she stared at him with owlish eyes. "But you don't know—"

"If anybody will be safe here, it's likely me. He still doesn't see us as a threat, so I really doubt he'll attack any of us, me least of all." Makoto looked like she had a billion protests to voice, but she let them die in her throat. He could sense her worry for Goro and he couldn't blame her. They needed to get moving to cover as much ground as possible. "Let's meet back up here in about three hours. Keep in contact with Oracle." Everyone nodded and headed into a random hall.

Akira tossed his knife up then caught it before plunging into the suffocating darkness. This was going to be interesting.

For half an hour, nothing changed. He saw nothing but blackness. The was bore no change nor doors nor branching halls. What really set him on edge, though, was the complete lack of Shadows. There was nothing, not even a weakling Pixie or anything else.

"Oracle, what have…the others…found?" He shifted and leaned against the wall, gripping his chest. This place reminded him too much of the house he'd grown up in. Absent father, drunkard mother always passed out, leaving him alone with the piercing silence of the house…

He squeezed his eyes together, bending over as his breaths came in gasps.

He needed to hear his sister's voice.

"It's odd, Joker. Fox and Panther were forced into another hall because the one they entered initially dead ended about ten minutes in. Skull and Noir keep climbing a large staircase. Mona and Queen found themselves in a hall right out of a Benny Hill sketch. Most of them lead to brick walls or rooms with nothing in them. I'm guessing you haven't found much?"

"This hall goes on forever. There's nothing ." This was way too weird. The way this house was already described reminded him of—

" _FUCK_!"

"Joker, what happened?!" Futaba's voice shook from hearing the exclamation, let alone in _English_. It meant something was _very_ wrong.

"I think I know what's going on. This isn't the real Palace."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell everyone to fall back. We need to convene for a group meeting."

* * *

"What's this all about, Akira?" Makoto sat on the couch in Sojiro's living room and everyone else made themselves comfortable. Akira just pushed his glasses up and everyone stared at him.

"Yeah, what did you mean that wasn't the real Palace? That's ridiculous!" Futaba attempted to throw a pillow at him and he caught it, glaring. Tension settled over the Phantom Thieves. He only ever did that if he was deadly serious.

"I know Goro pretty well by this point even if he's not exactly…forthcoming with most things." This was an understatement. He really hadn't gotten any detail out of Goro about his history, let alone anything else, but he could read between the lines. Abused foster kid. Still abused. But that was neither here nor there at the moment.

"Think about the appearance of the Palace for a moment, then look at how he acts." Makoto clapped a hand over her mouth, the color draining from her face as her eyes widened. Akira nodded, but remained silent until (almost) everyone figured it out.

"The manor's empty. There won't be anything in there since it's just a ruse…" Makoto's voice quivered and Akira saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. She was probably beating herself up for not realising it first.

"I realised it when Futaba described what everyone else's experiences were. Are any of you familiar with the Winchester Mystery House?" At that, Ann looked over and nodded.

"Now that you mention it…it is a lot like that… I went there on vacation once. I thought something about the Palace felt familiar."

It made all too much sense. A large, decrepit manor that resembled one of the most famous houses meant to ward off angry, vengeful spirits…

It really hurt Akira to think just how much Goro had been damaged by the various abuses he'd suffered.

"How are we going to find the way to the real Palace then? It's going to take forever to find the entrance to the real one at this pace…" Makoto's shoulders slumped a bit and Akira ran a hand through his hair. That was definitely going to be a problem. They had limited time in general and they weren't going to be able to find their way without a map. The manor was over five stories tall, though he knew they'd have to find a way to the underground prison.

"…Perhaps there will be a visible marker on a door? It may be subtle, but there has to be something visual. Akechi-kun is good at masking and walling, but once you get past that, he's really quite easy to read…"

Akira blinked at Haru's observation. "…Haru, I think that might be it. He'd try to hide the entrance in plain sight. Makoto, what side of the doors were the handles on?" She blinked and stared at the random comment but fell silent. She looked up a few moments later though and nodded.

"They were all standard on the right. Are you thinking—"

"—it'll be on the left." Considering Goro's dominance and everything else, it made sense…in the way the Metaverse did, at least. It was subtle, but it would reveal the path to the true Palace.

"How do we find the right hallway though? And there'll probably be some sort of guardian for the door…" Makoto trailed off, looking down at her hands. The reality made Akira wince, but he shook it off as the realisation hit him.

"My hall was probably the right one. It was dark, straight, and silent. There wasn't anything." It was a long shot, but since it represented Goro's psyche and his distorted desires, it made the most sense. His life felt like nothing but long, hard stretch of darkness with nothing positive with oppressive silence. They had only covered four halls but…

He just knew.

"As for the guardian… We can beat it. Nothing's beaten us before. I'll just have to stock up on healing supplies." Takemi wasn't going to be happy with him raiding her pharmacy again so soon.

He had just the week prior.

* * *

I know that required some serious leaps in logic to figure out, but keep in mind we're dealing with symbolic representations of people's distorted desires. I think them having some serious Cloud Cuckoolander logic is warranted. Plus my Haru can be prone to it herself every now and then.

And, yes, the Leverage tabletop RPG is a Real Thing.


	2. Chapter 2

After an hour, Akira finally saw the end of the hall. It had felt like an eternity even with his friends there. Thankfully, his hunch had been correct. The door at the end had a handle on the left side. It was plain and nearly blended into the wall, the handle being the only defining feature.

"Joker, I think you should get behind me. I've know Akechi-kun longest, so I honestly probably stand the least chance of being attacked." He looked at Makoto and nodded, stepping behind her. Even if he knew Goro the best, her logic was perfectly sound. It'd been close to three years since she'd first met him, so it did seem least likely especially with how close Goro was to Sae.

She removed her mask and took a deep breath before plunging into the darkness. Akira stood close behind, knife at the ready.

To nobody's surprise, bars slid across the door behind them, blocking any withdrawal. Akira's throat tightened as he looked around the large room and caught sight of a massively powerful Shadow in the corner. "Get ready, guys." everyone gripped their weapons and got into position.

"How dare you break in here! I'll enjoy throwing you in with the rest of those lawbreakers." Akira felt Makoto tense and looked at her. What in the world—

A woman nearly two meters tall stepped into their field of vision and Akira couldn't help but stare alongside Makoto.

" _Sis?!_ "

It was indeed Sae, though she wore a Western-styled medieval dress, a crown atop her head. This…This wasn't a Shadow but a cognitive double with Shadow-like abilities… If they couldn't get past her, they'd be slaughtered on the spot. Sae was far too powerful for them to take on even with everyone on board for this mission.

"I knew criminals were low, but impersonating my sister? The penalty for such a crime is death." Even if Goro was used to Sae's good side, it didn't mean he was blind to how ruthless she could be.

"Sis, no! It's me, Makoto! For real! Why are you—" Akira put a hand on Makoto's shoulder and she glanced at him. He kept an eye on the double, though, as she drew her sword from its sheath, readying an attack.

"This is Goro's cognitive double of your sister." The small reminder made her blink before nodding. He stepped back with a faint smile as Makoto took a deep breath and steadied herself under the double's gaze. Sae held her sword at the ready, an eyebrow raised. She wasn't going to attack unnecessarily due to Goro's own natural disinclination toward conflict of any sort.

Makoto raised her hands and started signing.

 _We aren't criminals. Yes, we are the Phantom Thieves of Heart, here to take Akechi-kun's Treasure, but this isn't for personal gain. We know how much he's hurting and he wants to get out of his situation. The only way we can do that is if we take his Treasure. It'll cause this place to disappear, but it'll mean Akechi-kun can get away from his abuser with our help. You want people to not hurt him which is why you're guarding this place, right? If you join us, you can help him look to a brighter future._

She let her hands drop to the sides and shook a bit, staring down the blade of her sister's sword. The weapon remained out for several moments before Sae nodded and relaxed a little.

 _You're right about that. I'm supposed to keep intruders out of the prison that way he himself can't escape. I also know how desperately he wants out. I know I'm just an extension of his psyche in the end, but I have my duties._ Sae paused for a moment while Akira and Makoto looked at each other. Goro was aware of a lot, but for it to manifest a self-aware cognitive double? This was beyond mind bending.

 _If you are Makoto as you claim, what day did you meet him?_ Of course there would be one last failsafe for Goro protecting himself.

 _13 December, 2014. You brought him over to the house and he stayed for the night. You were worried about how spooked he'd been that morning at work. We ended up binging on old VHS recordings of one of the original Featherman runs on Sunday before he left._ Akira couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the last comment. Both Nijima sisters were into something as silly as Featherman? Makoto had never shown any inclination toward the show, but it was a shock to learn regardless. But of course she'd also give a few extra details just to drive the point home…

Sae nodded and smiled. _That's something only the three of us would know. I can trust you._

The bars on both entrances raised and Sae turned to them, her expression once again serious. "I'll warn you now that there are some extremely powerful enemies ahead. You're probably already more than skilled at infiltration and stealth, but you'll want to avoid the jailer at all costs. He'll stop at nothing to see you all dead.

Everyone exchanged glances while Sae raised a brow. Nobody needed to tell them who said jailer was. "Why do you act like you aren't surprised?"

"…We can't tell you. We can't predict what effect it might have on Goro's psyche if he knew what we know." Akira stepped forward and Sae nodded.

"Fair enough. His psyche is already fragile enough; he doesn't need further harm.

"The warden will be less powerful, but she'll still be a challenge for you at your current ability level." Akira tensed at the moment. How did Goro—

"All I can say is he's no stranger to your current levels, Joker."

Of course Shido had told him to watch them in Mementos to gauge their abilities.

"You won't be able to take on enemies in this Palace to boost your skills: the stronger ones run away while the weaker ones attack. They won't give you much if you beat them."

Akira just groaned. Of _course_ Goro's Palace wouldn't be easy on any front.

"…Looks like we're going to back to Mementos for a few days."

Everyone just groaned themselves.

* * *

A bit more like an interlude than a chapter, but the next bit will be a major chunk of the infiltration so this needed to stand on its own.

Sae's also 6'1" normally and 6'6" in heels frt. Goro's cognitive double of her is actually really quite the spot on recreation of her, but she does take the form of a powerful queen because that's how he sees her.

I realise I'm also playing kind of fast and loose with the Metaverse's rules, but it's never explained how it fully works. Plus, in this case, it's even more directly symbolic. Goro is _painfully_ aware that everything he's doing is wrong, so the fact Sae's self-aware is just a further reflection of that.


End file.
